Archive for the ‘motivational’ Category

Whenever we hear people ask this kind of question,our minds go to certain things. We presume immediately that we are being asked to explain ourselves from the point of view of where we come from,our parental background, our profession or vocation and some other personal details about us. But today, I am asking you the same expositary question from a different perspective.

We are going to mirror people from different points,at the end of which you can then answer the question “Who are you?” for and by yourself.The first kind of people we are going to see are people who watch things happen;spectators.Many people are spectators in the field of life and activities.They are never part of any move in the right direction.They apply the word ‘caution’ in everything.Many are in this state because of fear of failure. Many of them see calamity in every oppotunity.Many of us have at one ttime or the other gone to watch football matches in the stadium or live transmission on the television. You will agree with me that the people watching from the stands or live on television are only watching and not playing. But they seem to appear to know the rudiments of the game more than those playing on the field judging from their comments and suggestions. But they are only watching things happen on the field of play.It is not limited to the game of football alone but to other sporting activities.

In life, we don’t need to watch things happen, we need to be among the key players. Don’t let the fear of failure,being mocked or laughed at deter you from being among the players.

The second kind of people are people who ask,”What happened?” Many have died as a result of ignorance of whatever is happening around them or being passive in life. Many are ignorant of virtually everything,even who they are,what they can do and what they have got inside.They are therefore absent in the scheme of things. Opportunites are not recognised by them until they are gone.To them everything happens by chance.They are always behind in everything.When people are quitting outdated ideas,formulas and antiquated approaches,they are rather embrassing such ideas as being worthwhile.They are good traditionalists.To this kind of folks,information makes no sense.Many are never aware of change in policies of governance until they become victims of such changes. This kind of people considers reading newspapers,magazines and watching the news on television as waste of time and energy. They prefer asking what happened from people than knowing what is happening. Don’t be left behind in the scheme of things! Acquire useful information relating to your area of endeavour and other areas of life. Remember that success requires your decision to be active and know what is happening, but failure merely requires your permission by remaining passive and inactive.

The next set of people are people who do not need to watch things happen or ask what happened? They are the players in the field of life;they make things happen.This kind of folks take time to prepare,gather relevant information,evaluate the odds,ignore the odds and take on to the field of play.They are the ones who others watch or talk about daily.They are the people in the news.They make the headlines for their exploits in their fields of endeavour.These folks are not afraid of failure or starting small. They are usually the laughing stock of spectators when they are going through the rough terrain and the odds in their journey towards greatness in their different fields.They are determined,focused,resilient,and never give up kind of folks.They are not stopped by obstacles,they are rather built tough by odds against them.They see conglomerates even in their small ideas. They see victory in face of defeat. They see failure as delay and not defeat.They envisage failure as a temporary detour,and not a dead-end street. They believe in themselves and their potentials. Their learning does not lead to knowledge,their learning rather leads to action. They are men and women of vision and purpose. They are the folks that know that vision without action is a day dream. And that action without vision is but a nightmare. They are not afraid of taking chances. These folks have realised the only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try and the faith to believe that it is possible by them. Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to do but these players believe all that they really need is one reason why they can. These kind of folks have seen that business is like wheelbarrow; Nothing ever happens until you start pushing. These players are leaders in different industries who later become coaches knowing thatSUCCESS WITHOUT SUCCESSORS EQUALS TOTAL FAILURE.

Beloved, the mirror is before you right now. Have you been watching things happen? Have you been asking what happened? Have you been making things happen for yourself and others around you. WHO ARE YOU BELOVED?

Everyone desires the good things of life. This desire creates the quest for new things. The latest brand name, alluring displays, adverts, and special sales prices make it almost impossible to resist wandering into a store and buying some things that you know is out of your budget. Unfortunately, instead of exercising restraint, many people overspend because they have opted to buy now and pay later. Many people struggle financially because they live beyond their means. While they make good money, it is as if they put it in a bag with holes.

When you take a closer look at some people and their budgets, you will find that their new clothes, shoes, jewelry, homes, luxury cars eat up so much of their incomes that they cannot afford other essentials. When this happens, it is time for them to consider their ways. When your money seems to evaporate into thin air, you have probably gotten into hyper-consumption, which is simply spending money as fast as you earn it. In other words, you have more ‘output’ than income.

People hyper-consume for a variety of reasons: they are trying to keep up with joneses, or they are compulsive or comfort shoppers. When you see your co-worker with a new outfit, a new car or a piece of jewelry and you feel compelled to buy something similar or better then you are shopping to impress others. If you buy things thinking that you will feel better afterwards, you are a comfort shopper. A compulsive shopper is someone whose philosophy is ‘shop until you drop’, without thinking about how the bills would get paid. While these types of shopping may give you some temporary satisfaction, you will never reach the financial prosperity you are trying to attain.

Debt can be a thorn in your side, but the first step to getting out of its oppressive clutches is to make a quality decision to get out, stay out and live within your means. Decision is the key to opening the door to reality. You must learn how to manage the money you have if you want to get your finances under control and begin to walk in the very prosperity that God had promised. Put on the brakes! Take a good look at your spending habits. You will probably recognize a tendency toward impulse spending; somewhere along the line you lacked self control. God does not want you to live that way. Although He wants you to enjoy the comforts of life, He wants you to be a disciplined and faithful steward over your finances.

It is critical that you renew your mind where spending is concerned, especially now that we are experiencing global economic meltdown. You have to prove yourself faithful with your present income before God can give you a greater one. You see, if God were to bless someone with sudden wealth now, he or she may quickly squander it and end up in a worse situation. It is the faithful man who abounds in God’s blessing. It is time therefore to put on the brakes and live within the means God had provided. You may never be able to save any money if you spend it as fast as you make it. Neither can you be a blessing to anyone else if you live from pay cheque to pay cheque. Live within your means. Godliness with contentment is great gain!

In recent times, the discussions had been on the global economic recession or economic meltdown. Most formidable economies and companies had witnessed great shakings and losses. The stock markets had witnessed a down turn and many investment portfolios had not yielded much dividends. Many ‘great’ companies that exuded confidence to the world had been crying for bailout. Many had gone under and many jobs had been lost. Unemployment increased in many quarters. There is great fear in many quarters and in many hearts. Governments, corporate organizations, and individuals are cutting down on many things to remain afloat. The truth is that many did not anticipate this kind of dwindling experience; many got swept off their feet.

In the midst of all these anxiety and trepidation, I hear a voice saying, “I have not given you the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind”. I hear the voice also saying, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small”. So you do not need to be overwhelmed by fear and melt with the current economic meltdown. It may be very tough right now. But do remember that tough times don’t last, tough people do last. Someone said that every straining has got some training. It is time for us to learn from this straining not to put our trust completely in anything that is not God; because every other thing can fail or depreciate in value?

I heard one man and he sounded like a pessimist. He said, “Darkness shall indeed cover the globe, and deep darkness shall cover the people”. He said experts and bookmakers would be proved wrong. He said predictions would fail and only people with divine illumination would remain afloat. He said many men and women would be cast down but only those with divine illumination would be lifted. I tried to verify the authenticity of his words and found out that all his words had always come true. So I concluded that the only way out of the current meltdown is not melting down but divine illumination.

We have many great men and women around. But they were also caught up with the meltdown. I now believed the saying that great men are not always wise, neither do aged people have perfect understanding or judgment. Recently I heard that there is a spirit in man: and the illumination or inspiration of the Almighty God gives man understanding or insight that brings solutions. It is time for us to search for this illumination or inspiration that births the understanding that brings about solutions.

I learnt recently that being alone is not the same as being lonely. Most profound ideas are received when we are alone; only alone with God as the only focus on our mind. Let us try reduce the traffic of activities going on our minds and give time for ‘thoughtful’ relationship or fellowship with the maker of all things; you only receive additional information about products or spare parts from the manufacturer. It is time to confer with the one who framed the globe with the words of His mouth; He has ideas and solutions to the current meltdown. Many people we call experts are just like reporters of news who may not necessarily be on the spot or scene of events, and may not have complete knowledge of the ingredients used to manufacture products.

The globe that is experiencing the meltdown is a product and has a manufacturer. The manual, ideas or solutions can be got directly from the manufacturer. The manufacturer is available for consultation, and can be accessed by hearts that are also available. I advice that we make ourselves available and receive the immutable ideas that will enable us remain afloat and deal with the meltdown decisively.

I saw a quote recently and it made a whole lot of meaning to me. It read thus: “Confidence in an ‘unfaithful’ man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint”. It is time to take our confidence and put back in God. Since economic experts were overwhelmed by the meltdown, let us try the One who cannot be overwhelmed by anything and who is forever faithful and true to His words; Let us turn to God. He is the antidote and has the antidote. With Him you cannot melt with the meltdown; when men are cast down His lifting is guaranteed. Stay blessed.

When I was much younger, I did not understand what death meant. I had to ask my mum what death actually meant. She jokingly said, when someone sleeps and wakes up that means he is still alive. But when someone sleeps and does not wake up it means he or she is dead. From that explanation I did not understand that people can die through any other means other than through sleep. It was until much later that I knew people can die through other means and are buried afterwards. It was then that it dawned on me that when people die that you get to see them no more. And people react in different ways on hearing about the demise of a love one; some do not recover from the shock even after many years.

I have been following an African myth that when people die and enough party is not thrown at their burial that the dead begins to disturb those alive in their family. It is a very strong belief in many quarters. When my father was lying in state during his burial ceremony, I asked him some unreplied questions. I held one of his legs, and asked him if he knew a party was going on, on his behalf. One elderly person nearby told me my dad was around and was hearing my questions. He went on to say that if I had spiritual eyes, I would see and would hear. But I turned to the old man and told him that I have realized that I cannot help my dad any longer. I also told my elder brother that there was no amount of noise, food, drinks, and even crowed that can contribute anything to his lifeless body. I also made him to understand that all the reverence they were giving his lifeless body amounted to nothing.

I have heard different things about the Africans that I consider absurd. People from this part of the world prefer “Befitting Burial” to good health management and care. One diplomat who is not African said that a dead person is more important than the living in Africa . An African diplomat then added that in Africa we need to rush the dead to the grave lest the dead change their mind and put spanners in the “send-off” party already arranged. Money would not be released by members of the family, friends and associate for medical treatment but can be released easily at the demise of a person. What a culture! What an orientation! What a people! The government, corporate organizations, and the people of Africa are all part of this practice.

During my dad’s burial ceremony, I saw many people who said they did not have time to come and see him during the brief period he was sick. I reasoned in my mind that they did not have time for the living but then some had to take casual leave to have time for the dead. What an attitude! At the demise of a person lavish burial ceremony and parties are arranged. Some individuals borrow to feed all their guests. How can a poor man lose dad or mum and you expect him to feed the whole community? The poor man had never invited his next door neighbour for dinner. If he does not do so, the spirit of the dead would not rest and would likely disturb him and his family. Out of fear of this crazy myth, many have been rendered paupers and beggars.

Burial ceremonies come with pomp and pageantry. Expensive caskets must be bought and expensive slots must be secured in expensive cemeteries. And obituary announcements must be on prime time slots in the media. Money earmarked for certain burial ceremonies can put street lights and other basic amenities in a community. Notable musicians around the country must be around to entertain guests. It is amazing that the price of the casket alone most of the tine would have been more than enough to keep the person alive. People come with foreign and local currencies to spray musicians, guests and their host. Some times you are left to wonder if there are no longer poor folks in those families, communities that their lives can be changed with those funds earmarked to be spent or better “buried”. Uniforms are sewn for all for the burial for folks who may have been left for dead.

Can the dead go home in grand style? Can the dead actually know what happens after they are gone? Are they affected by our cries, ceremonial waste and “befitting” send-off parties? I do not think so. I do think all these our ‘going home in grand style’ “buried dad or mum with lavish party’, ‘exotic burial’, ‘befitting send-off parties’ are all crazy things that most of us inherited from the older generations that must be eschewed. It is crazy to invest on dead people or in my own words ‘rotten meat’ than on the living. Everything about burial is buried stuff. It is no useful investment. Those funds should better be directed to better the lot of the living. It is a crazy orientation for folks to hoard funds and not help people and release those funds for their burial. Let’s learn to invest in the lives of the people and add value to life. Let’s appreciate the living; dead people don’t value appreciation or praise.

You may have tried to achieve some feat in 2008 but could not. It is very possible you may have given your dream feat your best shot, but you still could not achieve it. It is not time to give up hope. The year 2009 offers great hope yet again for your dream to manifest. It may be that your best was not good enough or it was not yet your time.

Some people who did not achieve their dream may have decided to throw in the towel. But I am telling you that it is just time to try one more time; it is not time to quit. Quitters don’t win, and winners don’t quit. You may be some few inches away from your major breakthrough, your dream job or contract. Your testimony may be the next in line.

Some of us did not try at all out of fear. You might succeed or fail if you try but doomed if you don’t try. This is your year, come of the box. Come out of your comfort zone and launch out. Think out of the box. Successful people are not people who have not failed; they are people who have failed, known how it wouldn’t work until they got it right. Failure is only a stepping stone to success. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from stepping out to try.

An ignorant man’s world is limited by the size of his knowledge, and the great man’s world is limited by the scope of his dream. It is time to re-invent yourself. Learn new ways to go about your dream. You may need to get new books and materials or take up past time lessons. You need to widen the scope of your dream. Dream big dreams. Don’t settle for mediocre or less than excellence. One’s philosophy is best expressed in the choices he or she makes. It is time to make healthy choices. You are where you are by the choices and decisions of yesterday. You can be where you are dreaming about by the healthy choices and decision you are willing to make today.

Beloved, this is certainly your year. But you can only have a happy new year when there is a happy new you. Drop the ‘you’ that failed to achieve last year. And put on a new ‘you’. Only a new you can bring about a new year. The you that achieved some feat last year may not be as strong to wade through the new year, so reinvent yourself and fortify your system for new challenges. Remember that whatever you are doing is taking you to your dream or away from it. You will excel this year in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Stay blessed and focused.

Whenever we look around us, we usually see one or a few things that do bother us. Most of them bother us because we do feel they needed attention, alteration or to be put in good order. When we were much younger, our parents were usually bothered about our growth; physical, moral, psychological, educational or spiritual well being. They stopped bothering about certain areas of our life after a few years because they felt we have mastered or could take good care of those areas. Today, many of us are bothered about things that do not in any way concern us or even bother God. It is time to look at those things again and know if they should actually bother us or not.

The Bible shows us in NUMBERS 12:1-12, where Miriam and Aaron were bothered with what God is not bothered about. Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. And Miriam and Aaron spoke against him for marrying an Ethiopian woman. They told him that God had not spoken only through him but through them also. It bothered them that Moses married an Ethiopian woman but what bothered God was not Moses’ marriage but the critical fault finding spirit they exhibited. They had allowed things to bother them which were none of their business and as a result the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; Marian became leprous and Aaron became very afraid. Many of us have fallen into some trouble or adversity because we bothered about things we do not have business bothering about.

Moses was at some point also bothered about his shortcomings but God was not. The Bible shows in EXODUS 4:10-12, where Moses was bothered about his eloquence. God was bothered about the deliverance of His people from bondage {EXODUS 2:23-25, EXODUS 3:7-12}. What bothered Moses was his shortcomings but what bothered God was different {his assignment}. God is not bothered about your shortcomings but your assignment. Many of us are busy bothering about what we don’t have now. Put to good use what you have, in order to get what you don’t have. Don’t be discouraged by what you don’t have, you have something within you which can amount to something; A HERO OR GIANT LIES WITHIN YOU. God is bothered about the gifts or potentials in you which you are not making good use of, not your shortcomings.

The Bible shows us in 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13, that what bothers us is not what bothers God. God told Samuel not to be bothered by countenance or height because He is not in any way bothered by these. God told Samuel that He is bothered by the heart of man towards Him. As men if we are told to select or elect a king, we are most of the time bothered about eloquence, fame, wealth, background or educational qualifications. But God says He is not bothered about these. A man can have all these qualifications but his heart is not right. God is interested in the heart of man and the motive behind his actions. The physical qualifications do bother us, but does it bother God?

The Bible shows us in the book of JUDGES 11:1-11, where the people bothered about Jephthah’s background and threw him out. But when their enemies came to war with them, they realized that his background was not necessary but his potentials. They fetched Jephthah back to be their leader. Many of us have missed the good people sent to help us in our different fields as associates, friends, wives, husbands, because we were bothered not about them or their potentials but their backgrounds. “GOODIES OFTEN COME IN UNATTRACTIVE PACKAGES”. Don’t miss your blessings because it may come in a package you are bothered about which God is bothered about. These days, people judge things from the outside. “DO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER”.

In church, people are bothered about things God is not bothered about. Many of us are bothered about what we wear or what others wear to church. Many have often said ‘this or that’ should be the dress code to church. Many don’t attend church services when they don’t have new sets of clothes because they feel they have displayed the ones already in their wardrobe collections. It does bother you, but does it bother God? Your heart to church bothers God, not your wears to church. You can wear good designer clothes to church with a wrong or unforgiving heart.

All these are religious hypocrisy in the church. God is bothered about your heart not your clothes. Let your heart being right before God bother you not clothes. Some have left preaching to change lives and hearts to God and now are talking about dress codes, hair do, use of jewelries or covering of hair. Some are busy bothering about who is supposed to preach or not and are not doing what the word of God says. Evaluate which of these that bothers God.

Beloved, God wants us to look at ISAIAH 1:11-20. God is not bothered about our multitude of sacrifices, offerings of animals, observation of new moons and Sabbaths/solemn meetings, appointed feasts and the likes. God is bothered about our heart and the motives behind our actions. It is time to repent and seek God and what bothers Him. Let’s stop playing church. Stop doing to impress your pastor, parish priest or people around. It is all vain if God is not impressed. Your heart is what impresses God. Stay blessed as you bother only about what bothers God.

Many of us are in the wrong or right places based on our decisions and choices of yesterdays and yesteryears. Most of us took those decisions or choices based on circumstances around us at those points in time. And now we are living out the product of those decisions or choices; because what we think, what we choose, and what we do is who we become. Many had heard the story of Esau and Jacob but ended up labeling Jacob a cheat. But I beg to differ; Jacob is not a cheat, Esau only got the end result of his decision or choice.

Esau preferred the pleasure or satisfaction of his stomach to his future by the choice he made. He was not pressurized or cajoled by his brother to make the choice. His comment was, “and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” He negotiated his birthright with what can satisfy his stomach for that moment. So God would not allow him receive the blessing of his birthright having sold it out to his brother. In our daily lives negotiations are going on at different levels in different forms. But you and I need to be very sensitive so that we do not short change ourselves with things that would jeopardize our future or even kill us.

Some of us are very vulnerable when we are hungry. Most of the time our sense of judgment gets overruled by the urge to satisfy or quench our hunger. Many had compromised their stands just for what would enter their stomach. Many had been bought over with food. Many had revealed top secrets because of food. Many are doing wrong things knowingly just to satisfy their appetite for food. I have heard many robbers confess during interrogations that hunger caused them to take to stealing. Many girls living in brothels claim that hunger was part of what kept them there. Even in the religious circle many had compromised because of what would enter their belly. Always have the future in mind when you want to take some decisions or make choices. Do not let hunger make you take decisions and make choices that would affect you in the long term. Beware of the spirit of Esau!

Do not make critical decisions or choices when you are tired. We do not need to make important decisions when we are tired and deserve rest. Those decisions might not be flawless at the end. I told a friend that a tired man is a tired mind. Some people can give go-ahead orders when they are tired in cases they would have turned down. Some had made regrettable decisions or choices because of fatigue. Your sense of judgment is not that accurate whenever you are tired and need some rest. You can leave that decision for another day or time instead of making costly mistakes in your tired state. It is not good to negotiate for anything concerning your future or about finances when you are tired; you have the tendency to give in to terms or conditions that may affect you adversely in the long term. During your tired moments, shelve vital decisions making and weigh your choices.

Anger is madness for a short while. Your reactions when you are angry can be compared to insanity. You lose your mind when you are angry or really upset. Most of your actions are not calculated or articulated properly. It is most unfortunate that most of us make critical or vital decisions when we are angry. Most of us had regretted most of the decisions we took when we were upset. Many relationships were broken out of anger. Many went back to beg for forgiveness when it dawned on them that their momentary madness had caused great damage. Even the high and the mighty are not exempted from this momentary madness. Most leaders had taken some rash decisions just the very moment they got upset and had to live with the regrets of their actions the rest of their lives. Beware!

Lonely moments can be dangerous moments also. They said an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. King David made the decision to take somebody’s wife in his lonely moments. Most young people are very vulnerable when they are lonely. Even married folks are vulnerable when they are not with their partners; they may make decisions that can hurt their marriages and future in those moments. Many travelers who lodge in hotels far from their place of abode may be tempted because of loneliness to look for women or men of easy virtue to keep them company. Lonely moments had cost some folks their future. Some people also had made terrible mistakes while they were excited or happy.Herod agreed to give the head of John the Baptist on a platter because he was excited and carried away in a party mood. I have seen some folks do absurd things in the name of celebration.

Do not be another Esau. Do not over look the future effect of your actions. Think before you act or say things. Your action today can ruin your tomorrow. Do not act on impulse. Don’t belittle your future to satisfy your appetite today. Don’t make vital decisions in your moments of madness, when you are drunk or over excited.

It is very obvious that every human being needs food to survive. Hunger often reminds us of the need for food. We all know that there are different types of food, and we need certain amount of each of them to remain healthy. There are certain kinds of food that are not appealing to the eyes, and do not wet our appetite but which we need all the same to be healthy. Some of us do purge when we take in certain foods. It also means that those kinds of food are not suitable for our body system. It is therefore important for us to know “our food”

What is your own food? You must know your food. Mine may certainly not appeal to you, and yours may not appeal to me either. Not knowing your food might entail you eating any thing good or bad in the name of food. Many people from the look of things do not seem to bother about food or the one that is good enough for their system. So for those people, anything goes.

Hunger is no respecter of persons or class. No matter your class in the society, you will at one time or the other get hungry to show at least that you are still human. The scripture shows in John 4:1-34 that even Jesus was hungry at some point. The disciples of Jesus went into the city to buy food (John 4:8). When His disciples got back with the food, they expected Him to quickly demand for the food. When He did not demand for food, they urged Him to eat (John 4:31). He rather told them that He had food to eat of which they do not know. His disciples wondered whether someone else had brought food for Him when they left. But He made a statement that would change the meaning of food in this piece. He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Food in this context now became work. His food was His work, and His work was His food; His food was His primary assignment and priority.

Jesus would not have been effective if He did not know His food; He had clarity of vision. Do you know your food? You must know you were not called to do everything but something. Until you discover that thing you might be eating other people’s food. As some foods that are not good for the system usually caused stomach upset, doing other people’s assignment might cause struggling and even make you lose relevance. You do not have to be coerced or forced to eat your food; Jesus showed He had passion for His food. You do not have a future with anything that hasn’t become an obsession. You must be passionate about your food. Jesus also showed from that passage that He was focused. You cannot really achieve much without focus. You must not be distracted by what others are doing or not doing. You must focus on your assignment if you must achieve anything out of life.

Many people while focusing on their food fail to recognize opportunity. Jesus recognized opportunity. The whole city came to him because He recognized that the woman by the well was the opportunity to get the whole city (John 4:28-30). Great things come in small packages. You must not look down on certain people and the opportunity that come with them. Many have missed many things because they did not recognize opportunity when it came. It is better to be prepared and not get an opportunity, than to get an opportunity and not be prepared. Be sensitive to opportunities. The disciples of Jesus brought Him ‘food’ but He was not moved. You must be willing to sacrifice in the course of doing your assignment. Abundance can only be guaranteed if you are willing to sacrifice even your comfort.

You may not finish your food if you are not really hungry. There must be a hunger within pushing you if you are to finish you assignment. That hunger cannot be sustained without character. Your character is the sum total of your habits. Habits take time to develop. So you must be willing be practice and work on your assignment over and over again. Many quit their assignment (food) because their eyes are on other people’s food, some others because of the initial stress associated with their assignment. There are no easy assignments; every one has its own hiccups. Don’t leave your food because someone else’s food looks more palatable.

If you must finish your food (your assignment), you must grow up. Growth is painful and involves a loss of some kind. You must also establish healthy boundaries. Many have grown old but have not grown up, so they do not have boundaries like kids in their choices. I want you to remember there is no other ‘You’ in the world. You are unique and original with a unique food. Imitation is limitation, and makes you struggle losing relevance in a short while.

It is time to discover or rediscover your food. Check if you have been eating other people’s food. Remember nobody breaks a record following someone’s record. Stay blessed as you discover or rediscover your food, eat your food, and finish your food. May God also give you the grace to stand the straining in the training.

We do know that somebody can be at a place and at the same time notbe there. It’s either the person is absent minded or lost in deepthought. It’s interesting to note that when you’re absent minded orwith somebody who is, your spirit or his is not there but the bodyis. At that stage, nothing important is achieved even in discussionbecause the mindset is at a different spot or location. Many of us areinto jobs, business, fields, relationships, marriages, but are not reallyinto them because our spirit are out of those places. Many people tooare into many cities but are not really into them and so they are notmaking it. I want us to use this message to understand the word ‘city’in terms of location and vocation or occupation.

The word ‘city’ from the Hebrew is ‘ayar’ meaning a place guarded by awatch or a fortified town. From the Greek it is ‘polis’ meaning a townprotected with walls of greater or less size. Ordinarily, people seethe city as a place that is well developed in terms of infrastructureand better opportunities than other towns. We know that cities havenames. They are named after people, event or happenstance (1 KINGS 16:24). These names have a certain level of influence and effect onthese cities. We do know also that many cities bear the names of godsand goddess. Most are dedicated to these gods and goddess, which inturn maintain their influence on these cities (JEREMIAH 2: 28,JEREMIAH11: 12-13). We do know also that cities have walls, bars and gatesfortifying them (DEUTERONOMY 3:5, 2CHRONICLES 14: 6-7, 2CHRONICLES17: 2).

Every one of us has got a city. Many of us don’t know our city. The onesthat do know may not be there right now. The Bible admonishes us in1SAMUEL 8: 22,1 KINGS 22: 36 to make our way to our city. The Biblealso shows us in DEUTERONOMY 6: 10 11, DEUTERONOMY 9: 1, DEUTERONOMY 6: 10-11,DEUTERONOMY 3: 18-20, that God expect us to go in and possessour cities. Many of us are in cities right now but are not making itin spite of the opportunities. The Bible shows us in DEUTERONOMY 28: 3,16,that you are either blessed in the city or cursed in thecity. Many have tried to make it but are in cursed cities (JOSHUA 6: 17,LEVITICUS 26: 25,31,33, JEREMIAH 13: 19, JEREMIAH 49: 13, JEREMIAH51: 43). Destruction comes when you are in the wrong city. (Jeremiah 48: 28, JEREMIAH 5: 4-6,2 KINGS 17: 23-26). The Bible declares that manyare suffering and wearied because they don’t know the way to thecity (ECCLESIANSTES 10: 15).

We do know that cities have walls, bars and gates. And you need tocross border gates to enter into cities. Are you sure you have enteredyour city? The Bible makes us to understand in PSALM 24: 7-10 thatthere are gates and everlasting doors that must be lifted before youcan enter. Are you sure the gates and doors are not locked against you? You may be struggling inside a city and wouldn’t know you are lockedout. The Israelites saw theirs and knew the walls and gate must giveway before they gain access into the city (JOSHUA 6: 1-2,NUMBERS 13:27-28). Many are in well situated cities, position and offices,but arenot making it(2 KINGS 2 :19-22).There is more to it than meets theeyes. The supernatural controls the natural. The supernatural is morereal than the natural Many were born, or do live in cities with greatdemonic, occult, witchcraft and all sorts of negative influence. The spirits in charge of these cities influences these people. Someturn to prostitution, incest, homosexual, lesbianism, alcoholism, smoking because of the influence of these spirits.

The Bible shows in DANIEL 10: 11-13,that the spirit pervading andprevailing where Daniel was, prevented or hindered Daniel fromreceiving answer to his prayers when he prayed. The Bible shows us in ACTS 17: 16,that a city can be given over wholly to demonicinfluence. You cannot make it in any city if you are out of itspiritually. Many have ran away from their city to other cities. Thedevil’s plan is to make you run away from your city. Many have evensold their city and are now servants in their city (GENESIS 47:19-20, 25). The Bible shows in ACTS 14: 19-20 that you need to ariseand come back to the city if you’ve been locked out or thrown out. Ifyou’re already in any city you need to break the gate and doorsspiritually so that you wouldn’t have to struggle with the natural tomake it. Don’t be deceived, spiritual influences are real because thesupernatural is more real and controls the natural (1CORINTHIANS 2:15,2 CORINTHIANS 4: 18).

Many of us are doing the wrong courses in school, doing jobs orbusiness but our spirits are not there. Many enter school to do somecourses not because they love the courses or have a future with thembut just to while away time or just have a degree. They subsequentlyenter the wrong jobs or business. That’s the more reason we havesquare pegs in round holes. But the Bible says excellence is obtainedif you’re in your city (PROVERBS 18: 16). Many are struggling in lifejust because they are not in their vocation or location. Pressure canmake people move into a city that is not theirs (1 SAMUEL 13: 6– 14). Many move into offices in the ministry that is not theircalling because they desire to do what someone else is doing. Out ofposition is out of position. The grace to operate in that office will not be there when you are not in your field. Many are into wrongrelationship or marriages today and are not enjoying them becausethey are not in their city. Pressure from parents or peer pressure, flashy cars, beauty, wealth, fame or names or affluence, moved them out of their city. You will find fulfillment when you’re in your city. If you are in a wrong city, every other thing gotto be wrong. Don’t jump into what is unlike your city (1 SAMUEL 17: 38-40).

Beloved, I want you to know from all these that you can be at a placeand equally be out of that place too. The supernatural is real andcontrols the natural. Stop struggling in the natural; enter the cityspiritually by breaking the gates and doors that leads into itspiritually. Don’t enter the wrong vocation, business, jobs, relationshipor marriages. You cannot make it in the wrong location. ARE YOU IN YOURCITY? Stay blessed as you locate your city and remain there.

I have always said that, ‘nothing is something veiled’. What you call or see as nothing means and is relevant to someone else. Your inability to see the ‘something’ in that ‘nothing’ makes you not to attach or add value to it. Many of us are very good at noticing or seeing the gifts in other people’s lives but are blind and insensitive to our own gifts. We therefore relegate ourselves to the background and celebrate other people and their gifts. We don’t see anything good about ourselves, and therefore do not add value to anything we’ve got. Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little or nothing.

Did you hear about the farmer who grew discontent with his farm so he decided to sell it? A few days later, his estate agent phoned wanting approval for an advertisement she intended to place in the local newspaper. She read it to the farmer. It described a lovely farm in an ideal location, quiet and peaceful, contoured with rolling hills, nourished by a fresh lake and blessed with well-bred livestock. The farmer said, ‘Read that to me again. After hearing it a second time he said, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not selling. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life.

Many of us are like this farmer. We are looking at what we’ve got with disdain. We are defining ourselves and what we’ve got by other people’s standard, position or pay scale. We measure ourselves against the star on the screen or the model on the magazine cover. We relegate our gifts and our God-ordained purpose to the background, while celebrating the models and the screen stars.

Like the estate agent read to the hearing of the farmer, I will like to remind you of some things. You’re unique and special! There is no other ‘you’ elsewhere in the globe. There is something in you your world needs. There is a difference in you that has value and can add value to your world. You’re more than what you think or have been told by detractors that you are. There is more to you than meets the eyes. You’re a success waiting to happen. Where you are right now is the least you can be. God has made a room for you at the top. You’re made for the top! Don’t settle for less. You’re more than this. God made you for a purpose.

Don’t try to be somebody else. You’re an original, don’t die a carbon copy. There is more in front of you than there is behind. Stop looking back! You may have failed before while trying but you’re not a failure. A hero lies within you awaiting recognition. You may not have everything or what others have but certainly you have something. Look again at what you have. There is something about what you have. Just add passion to it. Be obsessed about it. You’ve a great future with it. Just believe strongly in it. Be ready to give it your all. It is not a crime to start small; but a crime to remain small and where you are. Your little drops will soon amount to so much; your acorns will soon become big oak trees. Make one little steps towards that dream daily. You will soon get there.

Beloved, I want you to know that God did not create you for nothing. God had a purpose in mind before you were born. Have you discovered that purpose? What are you passionate about? What are you willing to do without being handed a pay packet? It may look small but you’ve got something. Believe in it. Believe in yourself. Believe in God. With God your little will become much soon. You’ve got something! Just bring God into that thing and the world will soon celebrate you. See you at the top!